Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Carly
I feel myself stretch around him. He’s bigger, bigger than Chad was. He slows and lets me adjust for a moment before he moves.
“OK?” he whispers as he keeps himself on his elbows above me, his face inches from mine.
I lick my lips and nod. “Yeah,” I say as I feel him pull nearly all the way out and slide back inside. The feeling is exquisite. I forgot how good sex could be. God, I missed this.
I let my eyes roll back into my head as he pulls out and pushes in several more times before finding a pace and position that has me whimpering.
He leans down and kisses the top of my right breast. “You have the best breasts. And a perfect pussy. There isn’t a man alive with a brain that works who wouldn’t sell his left nut to do this with you. ”
I giggle, and it makes my inner muscles clench. He groans, and his hand travels down between us. He finds my clit, which is something Chad never could do, at least not without some coaxing.
He flicks it, strums it, and then circles it. The last movement has my breath hitching. It’s as if he’s memorizing what works on me, because he does it again and then circles his hips to match the motion.
I moan embarrassingly loudly.
“That’s it, baby. Come for me,” he demands as he continues. I let my eyes close as I give over to the sensations. He moves a little faster, and I lose control.
“Brayden!” I scream so loudly that I’m pretty sure the other guests all heard me, but I don’t care. My body completely tenses up and vibrates with my pleasure before going limp and sinking into the mattress just in time to feel Bray’s dick twitch inside me as he comes on a loud moan.
He lies on top of me for a moment as we both catch our breath.
“Shit,” he mutters as he leans his forehead against mine. “We didn’t use protection.”
“It’s OK,” I assure him.
He raises an eyebrow.
“Well, it’s not the right time of the month for that, or it shouldn’t be, but even if it was, my chances of getting pregnant are slim. I had some complications with Ava,” I explain.
“Oh,” he says as he rolls us over and settles me on top of him while still buried inside me.
“Yeah. I can still get pregnant, but probably not the normal way,” I explain.
“Well, I just had all my annual bloodwork run. I haven’t been with anyone in months,” he explains.
“I trust you,” I say to him as I lay my head on his chest. He runs his hand up and down my spine. I squirm at his light touch and feel him begin to harden inside me again.
“Damn, you don’t need much recovery time,” I tease as I wriggle against him.
He waggles his eyebrows. “I guess it’s the sexy woman on top of me,” he says.
I grin like a fool, still full of the after-sex endorphins. I sit up on him and look down.
“You’re a goddess, Carly,” he says as he grabs my hips and helps me move on top of him.
Eventually, his hands come up to cup my breasts, and I groan.
Chad was never a breast man, but I like them to be played with, which Bray figures out quickly.
He tweaks my nipple, and I feel my inner muscles clench.
He pulls me down, so my breasts hang at mouth level, and he suckles on one nipple and then the other as I grind against him.
“Make yourself come,” he says as he continues to bite and suck.
I grind myself on him, and he reaches between us, knowing exactly what I need. It takes less than ten seconds for me to fall into the abyss with Bray coming alongside me.
I let myself fall into him, and he wraps his arms tightly around me. “You're mine now,” he whispers as he kisses the crown of my head. I snuggle against him, feeling safe and loved for the first time in possibly my entire life.
“Mom! OMG! Mom! I found a key!” Ava screams from downstairs. I’m super thankful that Bray woke me up an hour ago with his mouth on my clit. After another round of the best sex of my life, we showered and just got dressed.
Bray pulls me into his arms once more and gives me a deep kiss before smacking my ass playfully to send me on my way.
I grin up at him, and he tugs me back for one more quick kiss.
I’m not ready to tell everyone about us.
I still feel like this could all fall apart at any minute, but right now, I feel so good.
I feel like I could fly. I sort of want to scream from the rooftops that I love Brayden Murphy.
I haven’t said those words yet to him, but I know I do.
I practically skip downstairs to find Ava standing at the bottom of the steps, holding a very old skeleton key.
“See!” she says excitedly.
“Did you try it yet?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Nope. Mr. Al thought I should wait for you guys. Well, Unca Bray is almost ready.”
“Unca Bray is ready,” Bray says as he comes down the steps. “Where’d you find that?” he asks.
“Mr. Al and I got up early. We went for a walk and found this fountain in a wall by the door. I noticed a brick was loose, so he helped me wiggle it out, and there was the key, and a marble, and some little carved stone cows,” she explains. “Now, can we go?”
“Yes. Just let me grab my coffee and a pastry,” I say as I walk into the kitchen with Bray on my heels. He had started the coffeepot before our shower.
We get ourselves a coffee and something to eat before following Ava out the door. Al’s sitting out there looking at the vista.
“It really is a gorgeous, romantic property,” he says. “It makes you want to fall in love, doesn’t it?”
Bray winks at him. “It does.”
I blush as Bray takes my hand in his and we follow Ava. He lets go before she turns. We decided last night to wait to tell her, or really to talk to anyone about what’s happened. We need a little time to just be together without everyone knowing, our own little bubble.
Ava runs to the door and stands next to it.
“What are you waiting for?” Bray asks.
She shrugs. “It’ll be kind of sad if it’s over, huh?”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“I mean, there was so much anitication,” she says.
“Anticipation,” we correct in unison as Al walks up to join us.
“Oh, right,” she says. Suddenly, Vito and Drew walk over toward us.
“Mr. Drew, Mr. Vito, look what I found!” Ava says excitedly as she waves the key.
Drew bends down, and Vito takes the key to examine it.
“Wow, Ava. You should try it,” Vito says as he hands it back. “You know. There’s more to that story my great-grandparents used to tell us. They also said that whoever finds the key will get a wish granted.”
“They will?” Ava says, her eyes widening.
“Yep,” Vito says as he motions for her to open it.
With a shaky hand, she sticks the key in the lock and turns it after two attempts. She looks back with huge eyes. “I think it worked,” she whispers.
We all hold our breath as Vito helps her push the door open. Drew turns on the flashlight on his camera.
“What’s inside?” Al asks.
“Come in and see this,” Vito says, and we all turn on our cellphone flashlights and follow him inside.
It’s a dark room, sort of like a cave. There are some old bricks in one corner, and then a pile of what looks like paintings. Vito walks over and picks one up. He blows the dust from it.
“Holy shit, Aves. This is a painting by the former owners of the property. I’d heard the husband was an artist, but I never did figure that out. You just solved two mysteries,” he says with a laugh as he starts examining more paintings.
“I like that one,” Ava says as she points to a vista scene with butterflies.
“Then that one will come home with you,” Vito announces.
“Really?” Ava says.
“Yep. Where should we hang the rest?” he questions.
“I know where,” Ava says without missing a beat. “Come on.”
Everyone follows her up to the manor house. She leads us to that dark wood back hallway with the secret door to the library.
“Here,” she declares as she spins and motions around us.
“Actually, that’s a really good idea. I’ll get my parents’ art friend to take a look first, but I think we should definitely display them here,” Vito agrees as he holds the butterfly painting.
“It’s a beautiful painting,” I murmur.
Bray leans in so only I can hear him. “Not as beautiful as you.”
And just like that, my broken heart starts to heal.